A lot of lit candles in different sizes are standing on a mat as decoration

In 2022, EU members imported €2 331 million worth of candles, a 32% increase from 2021 (€1 767 million). Almost three quarters of these imports came from other EU members (74%, or €1 729 million). At the same time, EU members exported €2 457 million worth of candles, 27% more than in 2021 (€ 1 938 million). The vast majority of exported candles went to other EU countries (79%, or €1 936 million). 

Over a quarter of candles imported by Germany

Germany imported €609 million worth of candles in 2022, representing 26% of total imports of candles by value. This made Germany the largest EU importer of candles, ahead of the Netherlands (€313 million, 13%) and France (€173 million, 7%).

Imports of candles from extra-EU countries came mainly from China (€425 million, or 71%), followed by the United Kingdom (€55 million, 9%) and Vietnam (€41 million, 7%).

 

Infographic: EU trade in candles, € and %, 2022

Source dataset: DS-045409

 

Over a third of EU candles exported from Poland

Among EU members, Poland was the largest EU exporter of candles. Poland exported candles worth €922 million in 2022 (38% of total exports of candles by value), ahead of the Netherlands (€246 million, 10%) and Germany (€205 million, 8%).

Almost one third of EU candle exports to extra-EU countries went to the United Kingdom (€159 million, or 30%). The remaining EU candle exports went mainly to the United States (€80 million, 15%) and Switzerland (€72 million, 14%).

For more information

Methodological notes

  • Trade data: due to quasi-transit trade, the adding of intra-EU trade and extra-EU trade may lead to double counting. An example of this would be candles imported from China via the Netherlands, where they are cleared by customs for free circulation, before being dispatched to Germany. This would lead to the same candles being counted as imports by both the Netherlands and Germany. More precisely, they would appear in the Netherlands' extra-EU imports from China and intra-EU exports to Germany and in Germany's intra-EU imports from the Netherlands.

If you have any queries, please visit our contact us page.